Train brake control mechanism



ocr, 31,1939. e. c. GEORGE l `2,177,641;

TRAIN; BRAKE CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Aug. 21. 1937 I l'mll INVENTOR. GEORGE C`. GEOEGE w( TTORNEYS.

; n Y Y v f John R. Dodson, Portland, Oreg.

1l f 'ApplicationAugust 21, 1937, Serial No. 160,199

" rclaim. (ci. sosa-7s) r' This rinvention relates to improvements in brake retainer mechanism and more particularly to the y-typeoffbrake retainerv mechanism shown and described inmy United States Patent No. 1,858,493 datedMay 17, 1932. f'

I InA said patent If'show in Figure 3 of the drawing' and indicate by reference numeral 32 what is *commonly termed a hand actuated blow-down valve of standard construction.

WAHThe vprincipal objectof the present invention `isftoprvidefa blow-downy valve entirely autovalve is to provide means for automaticallyA refduces the air pressure vwithin the brake cylinder ducing the' brake cylinderpressure and maintainingltlie reduced pressure intheY brake `cylinder While recharging the auxiliary reservoir.

v Another 'object of the 'automatic"blow`down feature f the invention is the provision of means for securing uniformity Aof action of yall the brakes of the trainof' cars employing an air brake systern. "The Ablowldo'wn valveautomatically reto Aan equal amount vin each "oar" of the train. These and other objects will appear as my in vention is more fully hereinafter described `in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed -but in the appended claim. I 1

In the drawing: A 'l yFigure 1 isa side elevation of a retainer valve installed in connection with'a triple valve, auxiliary rreservoir and 'brake cylinder of Vstandard construction, vpa'rts'being broken away for con-r venience of illustration. In thisview the blowv Figure 2. f

i Figure 6 vis a fragmentary sectional detail-view "showing'parts of a triple valve with which my retainer valve is connected.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing: f

n The retainer valve'com'prises a housing, gen

erallyfindicated' at11I,'r formed .at one end'with an enlarged portion 2 having an internally threaded annular Wall 3 to receive a threaded cap 4 which is connected with a pressure inlet pipe 5 connecting with the auxiliary reservoir. A flexible diaphragm 6, preferably made of rubber, is disposed within the enlarged portion and held against a shoulder 'I by means of a retaining ring 8. The bottom wall 9 of the enlarged portion forms a seat for a valve I Il which is provided with a fluted stem II which is slidably mounted within a bore I2 of the body I. The diaphragm 6 isadapted, under pressure from the auxiliary reservoir to bear against the valve I to seat the same.

The bore I2 is in open communication with an exhaust duct I3 for escapement of air, to be more fully hereinafter described. The body I is also providedwith a slightly larger bore I4 in axial alignment with the bore I2 and a valve seat I4A is formed therebetween. vWithin the bore I4 is slidably mounted a piston I provided at one-end with a composition 'ring or facing I5A, secured in place by a flanged screw plug I5, and adapted for engagement, as a valve, with the valve seat MA. The piston is cup shaped, as shown, to receive one end of a compression spring II whose opposite end bears against an adjustably mounted plug lthreadedly mounted within the bore I4, as shown. The outer end of the bore I4 is provided with a closure cap I9 which also serves as a locknut to retain the plug vIIB in any of its adjusted positions. The spring I'l yieldingly'maintains the piston valve I5 against its seat I4A and ragainst the valve stem I `I of the valve I0. The spring lis adjustable, by means of' the plug I8, to yield to a predetermined pressure of air against the valve 'I0 land its stem I I.- In other words, when the air pressure in the auxiliary reservoir is applied through pipe 5, to the diaphragm 5, and is greater than the setting of the spring Il, the valve I, through its stem II, will unseat the piston `valve I5.

In *open communication with the interior of the bore I4 is a pipe 20 connecting with the triple valve, generally indicated at 2 I'. An exhaust opening 22 is also in communication with the interior of the Abore I4 and is provided with a manually actuated release valve 23 for exhausting all the air from the brake'cylinder for rendering the retainer valve of any individual car, ineffective only when so desired `or necessary.

As best illustrated in Figures 2 and 5, the automatic blow-down valve comprises or includes a supplemental bore 24 in the valve body I. This boreconnects with an exhaust duct 25 terminating" in'anoutlet 26. The' duct 25 also con- PATENT orrlcs y TRAIN BRAKE CONTROL MECHANISM l- George C.George, Seattle, Wash., assigner to termined pressure against the piston to hold it closed against predetermined air pressure within the duct 25. For example, if lthe spring were set for twenty-five pounds it would require twentyve pounds `plus of air pressure in the lduct to back the piston away from its seat' against the action of the spring. A I

In Figure l I have shown a conventional auxiliary reservoir 36 operatively interconnected with a ybrake cylinder 3| having the usual piston 32 slidably mounted therein'and adapted to actuate a brake rod 33 under suitable pressure. p The conventional triple valve 2| is connected with the auxiliary reservoir in the usual manner and, as

aforesaid, thepipe 20 interconnects the bore |4l and duct 25 with the triple valve so that air pressure under certainconditions and-a certain settingY of the triple valve may enter the bore and duct and surround the piston l5 to be dealt With thereby. l

In connecting my retainer valve with air brake mechanism, the pipe 5 is connected with the 'auxiliary reservoir 36, and the pipe 20 is connected with the exhaustopening or port 35 (Figure 6), of the triple valve, said exhaust. port being arranged and connected by slide valve mechanism 36 of well known form with a pipe 37 which extends through the auxiliaryreservoir 36 to the brake cylinder 3|. The slide valve 36 is capable, when moved into what is known as service position, of connecting the pipe 31 with the auxiliary reservoir to permit air from the auxiliary reservoir to pass to the brake cylinder and set the brakes. In the operation of the usual brake mechanism when the brakes are to be set, the engineer reduces or releases the pressure in the train line or brake service pipe 34 connected with the triple '02 valve. This reduction in pressure moves the slide valve 36 into service position andconnects the auxiliary reservoir 3|] to the brake cylinderadmitting air thereto under pressure from the auxiliary reservoir and applying the brakes through the piston. and brake rod, as aforesaid. As long as the pressure in the train line pipe 34 is lless than the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir the brakes will remain set but their effectiveness will be gradually reduced by leakage of air, 'and as long as the slide valver36remains in the service position it is impossible to recharge the auxiliary reservoir 30. To release the brakes and recharge the reservoir, pressure from the usual compressor (not shown) in the engine is admitted to the pipe 34. This moves the slide valve 36 toy charging position, changing the connections as vfollows: Communication between the pipe 31 and the auxiliary reservoir is shut olf and the pipe 31 is connected with the triple valve exhaust port 35 allowing the pressure in thebrake cylinder to exhaust; communication is alsoA established between the train line or service pipe `31| and the auxiliary reservoir 3|) allowing the auxiliary reservoir to be recharged rto `the `required pressure. It is now common'practice to allow the compressed air from the brake cylinder to exhaust into the atmosphere thus fully releasing vthe brakes before the auxiliary reservoir has had time to become safely recharged. Where the brakes are reappli-ed immediately after they are released and this procedure is repeated a number of times, the auxiliary reservoir pressure may be reduced to such an extent that it will not apply the brakes with suicient forge to l,hold thel train.. But With my retainer valve I eliminate 'ggthis dangerous condition. IThe retainer valve is connected by the pipe 20 with the exhaust port 35, of the triple valve, and by the pipe 5 with the auxiliary reservoir, thus-theair-from the brake cylinder must exhaust through the retainer valve and past the piston valve j|5 before Athe brakes can be released. However, saidy piston valve will be held in closed position by ,the spring l1 to prevent escapement of the airryfrom the brake cylinder until such time as the auxiliary reservoir 36 has been charged up to its predetermined |nor-mal pressure and exerts sufcient pressure through pipeA .5 againstthe diaphragm 6, valveV lil and itsstemv to overcome 4the pressure .of-the' springA |71', vwhereupon the piston valve will be forcedopen to rallow-the air vfromthe brake cylinder :to'exhaust past-said piston valvev and escapeth-rough `the flutes of the valve stem thence` through the-mainexhaust duct |3 and out into the atmosphere.`r The re-` lease of the brakeslis ,thus automaticallyc'ontrolled by the pressure, within theauxiliary reservoir, orrareservoir subjectto trainflinepressure control, it being impossible Ato release. saidbra'kes until the auxiliary reservoir pressure is sufficient to overcome the pressure, of the spring] whichis in the reservoir. f v-Assurning that thereis. fty pounds' of prese sure in the' brakecylindensixty pounds ofpres'- sure in the auxiliary ,reservoir,a-ndathat rsixty set or adjustedv to. insure a saferecharge pressure pounds ofpressure is being appliedthr'ough pipey 5 to the diaphragm,6,.and.also-assuming vthat the spring y| 'I has been adjusted alor :compressed by theadjusting plug|8 toexert seventyfpounds `of pressure against the end d0f; ,thef'1"'luted stem it; will vbe seen that,I the-,piston `valve-1|5-will remain seatedsince the pressure ofgthe spring is greater than the-,air pressure'qfrom the auxiliary reservoir applied against the Ldiaphragm and piston, Atlthesametirne, airy from the b-rake cylinder is alsobeingl appliedhagainst the ,blovv.-` down piston valve 21 through theductn25 which is in open communication with-.thefpipepr lport 2|), and as long as ,the brakecylinder lpressure is greater than the setting or, pressure rof the blow-down spring lZBAtliepiston- Valve 21 will be unseated to permit escapement of air` pressure from vthe brake cylinder down to a'bredetermined amount, say, for. example, .-tvzentyfve pounds. When the lrnressure has beenjreduced to this amount lthe piston valve 2'| Wil1,close and thereby retain twenty-five pounds or" pressure in the brake cylinder.l 'I'l'iisjretained amount of air pressure in the brake cylinder. provides a reservoir of air adaptablefforfapplying thebrakes until `the auxiliary reservoir Y vhas beeny recharged to its normal capacityg-Bymy systemthe brake cylinder of each car is thus provided with twenty-iive ypounds of-.pressure so that thejbrakes 'of each car will be applied equally to insure-1 smooth braking operation. 'Ihistw-entyf'five pounds of air is retainedA inthe-brake cylinder and is not released until the auxiliaryreservoir has been fully recharged, andiwhen so -rfecharge'dthe*pres-v sure `of air through apipew againstdiaphragmf- 6,

y piston I and its stem II will back the piston f kminor changes Will suggest themselves to others Vvskilled inthe art without departing from the A'retainer valve for.v air-brake systems,` com- I f prising a housing formed with two cylindrical bores; a piston slidably and yieldingly mounted in each of said bores, an air duct in open communication with both of said bores and periodicallyl subject to brake cylinder pressure by the action of one of said pistons at a predetermined value of brakecylinder pressure, an air exhaust duct in open communication with said air duct `and normally held closed by the other of said pistons, and means actuated by air pressure for moving the other of said pistons for establishing communication between the air duct and said air exhaust' duct, and said air duct adapted to be isolated by either one of said pistons at a predetermined value of brake cylinder pressure.

GEORGE c. GEORGE. 15' 

